Twice a year, every year.
His doctor suggested a supplement called L-lysine.
"It was like 'There is no data on this, but . . . ' " said Cannon, a congressman representing Utah's 3rd District.
He gave the pills a try, the sore throats vanished and a fascination with the dietary supplement industry was born.
That was back in the early 1980s, long before Cannon was elected to represent the district that may be home to more supplement companies than anywhere else in the nation.
Since then, he has emerged as one of the industry's biggest backers, fighting off regulation while pushing bills endorsed by supplement companies. He is one of the leaders of the House dietary supplement caucus and the Natural Products Association named Cannon its "statesman of the year" for 2007.
Some of the biggest names in this $22 billion industry are headquartered in his district, such as NuSkin, Nature's Sunshine, XanGo and Nature's Way. These heavy hitters have been big donors to Cannon too, providing $16,000 in his last election.
Cannon's interests go beyond the political. He has become a big user of the products, carrying around sandwich bags full of pills. He recently gave The Salt Lake Tribune a peek inside his medicine cabinet, discussing what he takes and why. Some are backed by good research, others he takes on "faith."
He may be a congressman with access to the industry's best minds, but in many ways Cannon resembles the average supplement user. He relies on the advice of friends and neighbors, then checks out the products online before heading to Wal-Mart to pick some up.
"I never preach that it works, but I try some stuff myself," he said. "It can't hurt I figure."
Cannon no longer uses L-lysine, but he does regularly take 21 other supplements ranging from calcium to coenzyme Q10.
He isn't treating a disease, rather he is trying to prevent them. He takes lutein and zeaxanthin for his eyes, cinnamon and chromium picolianate to avoid diabetes. He uses alpha lipoic acid, dark chocolate, fish oil and magnesium to keep his heart healthy.
And Cannon takes a load of antioxidants, such as vitamin E, beta-carotene and green tea extract.
"I'm not sure you can live to be 100 and be robust, but if you can it's going to be antioxidants that make the difference," Cannon said.
Antioxidants are believed to counteract the damage unstable molecules inflict on cells, which may help prevent cancer or slow its development.
But with most supplements, it is difficult to make a definitive medical claim. Studies are rarely duplicated leaving the medical community will little hard evidence.
"Man there is a lot of junk out there, yet within that junk there is some pretty interesting stuff," Cannon said. "The problem is that there is no place where you know it is validated information."
Cannon plans to introduce a bill in the next month that should help in that area.
The bill will create an online forum for doctors to study secondary uses of prescription drugs. Physicians around the nation could enroll their patent in the government-sanctioned studies that would track their outcomes.
The bill would allow doctors to study supplements in the same way and patients could check the results online.
The legislation, called the Medical Information and Treatment Access Act, is the brainchild of Bill Duncan, a lobbyist for the pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industries. He is also one of Cannon's personal advisors on supplements.
They met through Cannon's uncle and grew close when Duncan worked for former Rep. Ernest Istook Jr., R-Okla., whose office was across the hall from Cannon's. Duncan credits supplements with repairing his faulty liver and keeping his diabetes in check.
Duncan recently told Cannon about a new supplement that combines vitamin B-12 and chromium to help metabolize sugar. Duncan said he does not give Cannon any pills, unless the congressman pays for them.
But before taking anything Duncan and Cannon say they talk with their doctors about the supplements, though these conversations are not always helpful.
"Some are up on it, some are not," Duncan said.
The University of Utah's School of Medicine has instituted a new nutrition program for its medical students, which includes a section on nutritional supplements. Larry Reimer, associate dean of curriculum, said the section should help doctors talk to their patients, but he still worries about the science.
"We don't have a lot of basis on which to make decisions," he said.
The U.'s Division of Nutrition is trying to work on that front, creating a certificate program to train students in the science needed to study supplements.
Division Director Wayne Askew sees these educational developments and Cannon's proposed legislation as the latest evidence of an industry slowly maturing.
The supplement industry has often been reluctant to study their products, which can't be patented because they are found in nature. An unfavorable result would most likely kill sales, Askew said. But the industry has taken baby steps.
Companies are now following good laboratory practices, clearly identifying what is in the pills and at what quantities. Cannon, along with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, another major supplement supporter, pushed Congress to pass a law mandating the reporting of adverse reactions to supplements. The federal government started collecting that data in December.
"There is just really no information that suggests that the basic supplements have any danger," Cannon said.
Askew is not so sure. He understands the desire to self-medicate. "This gives them a feeling of control," he said. But he warns that drug interactions many not always be positive.
Cannon freely admits that he is in the dark on some of the supplements he uses. He recently started taking tumeric, cayenne pepper and cinnamon pills.
"I don't know what they actually do or if they are helpful, but they are cheap and can't hurt," he said.
Askew said this attitude is rather common and highlights the need for more study.
"We would be in favor of anything that helps focus the research efforts on a particular claim," he said.
